Monday, November 14, 2011

9 boys molested at government institution. No steps taken to close the facility.

A government organization recently created a media firestorm when it allowed one of its ex-employees, a known pedophile, to continue using the government's facilities and bring young boys into its showers and dressing rooms.

One government employee attempted to report that he'd seen this ex-employee raping a 10-year-old in the workplace shower. This witness went to his supervisor, who went to his supervisor to report the crime. No actions were ever taken to intervene or protect the child.

The only law enforcement involved were the government organization's in-house security. No one in the organization spoke out.

There were other incidents with young children involving the organization's in-house security officers. Officers made recordings of the pedophile employee apologizing to the mother of one of the boys that he molested.

No one pressed charges for years, and other government employees took great pains to cover up the incidents and protect the reputation of the government institution.

It appears that 9 young boys were molested in some way. Some of them were raped.

If this had happened at a private institution, would our government allow it to remain open for business for another 15 minutes?

Would politicians be rushing to sponsor something called the "Victims Of Paterno's Coverup Bill of 2011"?

Would Nancy Pelosi be standing in front of cameras, pontificating about the need for more regulation and oversight of the education industry?

9 comments:

The Catholic Church?They are not run by the government.I don't remember any clergy or diocese getting shut down in 15 minutes at any time.In fact, I don't remember a single religious organization or university or corporation embroiled in a child rape scandal that got shut down in 15 minutes or even 15 months.

...9 boys molested at government institution. A government organization(…) using the government's facilities(…)One government employee(…) were the government organization's in-house security(…)other government (…)protect the reputation of the government institution.

Nor does it appear that "the government" has anything to do with the scandal itself. You can use the word "government" as many times as you like but you have not made any actual connection to the rapes nor the cover-up of those rapes beyond the incidental.

If this had happened at a private institution, would our government allow it to remain open for business for another 15 minutes?

Cedric made the main thrust of what I was initially going to say, so I'll just add that the vast majority of reasonable people understand this has nothing to do with government and everything to do with the cult of Football, no matter whether played by Penn State, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Duke, Ole Miss or the Buffalo Bills. That this would have somehow turned out differently in a private institution is a fantasy.

I hate to say it, but you've switched from channeling Ron Paul to channeling Michele Bachmann, which - let me tell you - isn't helping your cause. Of course, if all you're after is attention, and not converts, who cares?

I would have chimed in earlier but I've been watching George Mason play basketball. You remember George Mason - that private school in Virginia where all those Libertarian economists like Don Boudreax happily draw a paycheck. Whoops - I forgot, that's a *public* (Government) university.

All,I don't consider the Catholic Church to be a private institution, at least not in the sense of being owned by an individual or a group of shareholders. Like the govt., it's a sort of non-profit, where the money goes to insiders instead of a group of owners or investors. I believe that the tendency to protect the institution at all costs is the common thing here, and football is a side issue.

I don't consider the Catholic Church to be a private institution, at least not in the sense...

Hm, yeah. Whatever. It's not "the government".

Like the govt., it's a sort of non-profit,...

Now you are just rationalizing things. The Catholic Church in the US is not "the government". Plus the Catholic Church makes a very tidy profit. It always has.Tax Free.

If this had happened at a private institution, would our government allow it to remain open for business for another 15 minutes?

Again, what examples are you thinking of? Draw a valid comparison. If you are suggesting a double standards then make your case. What comparable "private institution" got shut down by "the government" in 15 minutes/days/weeks/months due to a child rape scandal?

"Private" and "Public," when applied to institutions have very specific and generally (as well as universally) agreed upon definitions. It doesn't matter whether you "consider" the Catholic Church a private or public institution.

I consider the Cato Institute a bunch of PR flacks employed by Koch Industries, but that doesn't make it necessarily so.

This is about the failure of institutions (which come in Private and Public flavors), and the corrupting influence of big-time athletic programs, not the Government.

What's really off-putting here is the cynical, heavy-handed attempt to turn this horrific tragedy for a bunch of children into yet another ideological bitch-slap against "the Government." More grist for the mill.

By the way, Samdusky is now claiming that he considered his actions just a little innocent horseplay.

I never thought I'd type these words, but I agree with Cedric and Dr. Ralph (look out for flying pigs!). At PSU, it's all about football.

And, as they point out, this is not a failure of 'government,' but rather a failure of people who are more concerned with protecting an institution in which they have a vested interest than with protecting the young victims.